More delays in reopening cracked Salesforce Transit Center

SAN FRANCISCO - Fremont Street in San Francisco will not reopen on Friday. Instead, it will remain closed for another week while crews continue to work on shoring up cracks at the Salesforce Transit Center.

Two weeks ago, workers discovered cracks in two steel beams holding the bus deck and rooftop garden of the new $2 billion transit center.

Since then, Fremont Street between Howard and Mission streets have been closed and buses rerouted to the old Transbay Center.

Creating a shoring system has proved more complex and is taking longer than expected, officials said. The good news is that the work that was being done at the street level on Fremont street is complete.

But above it, the four-level shoring system needs more work. Work will continue this weekend on the Salesforce Transit Center’s bus deck and the two train box levels.

On Sept. 25, cracks were discovered in critical steel beams that support the bus depot and rooftop park above Fremont Street. Construction crews are installing temporary supports to take the pressure off of the compromised steel beams. a permanent repair plan has not been devised yet. When the center is eventually shored up – engineers will begin to test the cracked steel beams to determine what caused them to crack. The Transbay Joint Powers Authority said it could be a problem with manufacturing, installation, or design.

Transbay officials decided last week to brace first street as a precaution. that work is done. But there will be one more night closure next week from 9 p.m. to 5 p.m. No date has been given yet.

Fremont Street is now scheduled to reopen on Oct. 17. The rooftop garden is slated to reopen in November.